Officers of Staplehurst Horticutural Society

My interest in plants and gardening began in primary school when I successfully rooted and grew a rose cutting. In my first home, fresh out of university with a new wife, I transformed a neglected urban jungle into a vegetable patch, a grassy area for my young sons to play, and some basic shrubbery. My next home had a low-maintenance garden that was pleasant but not very fulfilling.

Now, in my third house, I have plenty of space to experiment with garden designs that I love, with my supportive partner’s tolerance. My career spanned various industries: chemistry (detergents and industrial chemicals), chemical/process engineering (sugar), commissioning oil & gas plants in the Middle East, managing construction at a power station, and over a decade in the parks and open spaces department of a London Borough. There, I learned about attractive, low-maintenance planting. I also spent over 30 years managing a private village with well-maintained landscaping, sports fields, play areas, open spaces, and woodlands.

I've been a member of the Staplehurst Horticultural Society for about 20 years, enjoying the friendships, shows, and talks. I’ve taken an active role in the society, currently serving as its Chairman.

Gardening tip:  Avoid planting “bully boy” plants! These are the ones that can take over and are the very devil to remove when they take over.  e.g. Dogwood (cornus spp), pendulous sedge (Carex pendula).

Born in Shortlands in 1951, I lived my early years around Bromley and pursued a career in Education , finishing with a headship at a south London primary school. Ralph & I married in 1975 and have two children and 6 grandchildren who are an absolute joy in our lives.After retiring Ralph and I escaped to a farm in Essex for 8 blissful years. Which is where my love of growing things, developed. Then we returned to Kent and have lived in Staplehurst ever since. Joining the Horticultural Society let me transfer my organisational skills to my role as secretary; preparing meetings and events, keeping notes, supporting the chair and all committee members.

Top tip in gardening ? Just wait and see, plants often surprise us if we give them a chance.

Born in Rinteln, Germany in 1949, my childhood was mainly spent in Hayes, Kent. My main career was in IT specialising in retail solutions with Sainsbury’s, Homebase and T- Mobile. I retired in 2008 to become a hobby farmer for 8 years before moving to Staplehurst.

My top tip for gardening is keep your mower well oiled and sharpened to keep those lawn stripes straight.  

Having grown up in South East London, lived in Sidcup, then New Ash Green I finally moved to Staplehurst in 2003. I have been involved in helping to organise our Spring and Autumn Shows for several years now and am currently Deputy Show Secretary as well as being responsible for providing refreshments at our monthly meetings.

My love of flowers and gardening has led me to help in running the school garden club and to join a team creating flower arrangements for the church.

I enjoy spending time in my own garden. There is always plenty to do!

Gardening tip – Double bloomed flowers offer minimal pollen and nectar to insects. Try to choose plants with single flowers or many smaller ones as this will help pollinators.

I was born and resided in Essex, this is where I gained a large part of my gardening experience and through RHS Garden Hyde Hall. After moving to Kent, I joined SHS where I gained the role of Programme Secretary. This role involves sourcing and booking speakers for our monthly meetings and writing up our quarterly programme. I also organise our annual outing, and enjoy being involved in all our social activities plus fund raising events.

Gardening tip: mulch, mulch and then mulch again.

I was born and raised in Kent before moving to Hertfordshire for a few years after getting married. I, my husband and our two sons moved to Staplehurst 20 years ago and our sons attended the local primary school before moving on to secondary school in Cranbrook. I worked for a private bank in London straight from school and worked for them for 33 years in a variety of roles, most recently in product literature - those interminable terms and conditions that nobody reads! I am now fully retired that means more time in the garden. I like to grow my own vegetables and flowers from seed, as well as growing plants for wildlife. 

My one tip is to make sure that you spend time sitting in your garden to enjoy the fruits of your labours and listening to the wildlife.

I have lived in Kent since l was 11 years old, so this area means a lot to me. I only took up gardening when l retired 4 years ago after a lifetime behind a desk. It's a bit of a cliché but the wonderful therapy of gardening (even though l made loads of mistakes) soothed my soul and empowered me.

My role as well as being a committee member is to arrange our annual quiz.

I'm probably the least experienced gardener who's ever been on the committee, but I'm very keen to learn and I have a complete garden make-over project of my own after building my new little home at the end of my garden.  I'm really excited by the garden I can see in my imagination, but overwhelmed by the physical demands of the task on a tiny budget and I have very poor eyesight. However, I am happy to share my story as it proceeds.